A gadget that controls TV as you sleep has been developed by a pair of tech-savvy teenagers from Ancoats.
Ryan Oliver, 15, and Jonathan Kingsley, 14, have teamed up with Virgin Media to create ‘KipstR’.
The 3D wristband uses a pulse-oximeter to measure a user’s heart rate and detect sleep before communicating with a TV box to pause and record viewing.
When the user’s heart rate rises to ‘awake’ levels, it can trigger Virgin Media’s TiVo boxes to resume the programme.
The Manchester Creative Studio students came up with the invention part of Virgin’s Switched on Futures initiative.
Ryan said: “We jumped at the chance to work with the Virgin Media team on this project, it was a brilliant challenge for us but we’ve learnt so much and are really pleased with the end result.”
SAVVY SLEEP GADGET: The wristband follows heart rate to detect when the user is awake
Jonathan added: “We have really enjoyed working alongside the innovation team at Virgin Media. It’s given us a taster for what we would like to do when we leave school. We’re excited to see what the next project with Virgin Media will bring.”
One in five Brits are expected to fall asleep on the sofa during Christmas day, with festive food, alcohol and entertaining family members being the main causes of exhaustion.
And with the average person watching around four hours of TV on the day, 51.3million viewing hours could be in jeopardy including shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, Downton Abbey or the expected killing off of Gail Platt in Coronation Street.
Neil Illingworth, head of advanced technology and innovation at Virgin Media, said: “We have been exploring the possibilities of connected entertainment for some time and are very excited to unveil KipstR.
“With emerging new technologies, it is possible to create almost anything, such as emotionally intelligent entertainment systems that can suggest shows based on your moods, or even harnessing brainwaves to control your television.”
Virgin Media will be trialling KipstR this Christmas and customers can register their interest by clicking here.
